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Consider Franken; Mike not Al

Published by admin on Wed, 05/06/2020 - 9:48am

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

To my fellow Democrats. Understandably, the constant news of the virus has consumed our focus for the past two months. Now the June Primary is upon us, and we must focus on an important decision: Who will defeat Joni Ernst in November?

As your ballots appear in the mail, please take time to consider an extremely qualified Democrat: retired Admiral Michael Franken from Sioux City. A farm boy from Northwestern Iowa who rose to command ships and Naval operations across the world, Franken served 37 years, retiring as a three-star admiral. Although military service is not necessarily the key to successful government service, most of Franken’s last decade as a Naval officer was served in Washington, D.C., where he worked on the staff of Sen. Ted Kennedy, was a senior advisor to the Defense Department, and served as a chief of legislative affairs for the Navy. Michael Franken is respected in Washington and will be a leader in the Senate.

Perhaps it is Franken’s educational background in science and business that made him the clear and forward thinker that I heard as he addressed an audience in Cedar Rapids pre-virus. His campaign is based on three pillars: climate change, access to healthcare for all Americans, and elimination of the corrupt influence of money in our political system.

My own Iowa “stubborn” raises my hackles when the national party determines who should be the chosen candidate for Iowa in this important Senate race. Their money and ad campaign create an uneven playing fields, especially in this unusual time that curtails traditional campaigning. I have heard all the potential candidates; they all have compelling stories and sincere reasons for running. Among the group, however, the most capable individual is Michael Franken. Check out his website: frankenforiowa.com.